Path to Theism: Step 2

In Step 1 on the path to theism, we defined the word “God” as Supreme Being and Ultimate Reality, meaning something with maximum existence, or something that exits to the greatest degree.

In step 2, let’s consider more deeply what it means for something to exist to the greatest degree. How shall we measure degrees of existence? What gives a being or reality more or less existence?

We must consider two related criteria:

1. How much a being depends on other realities for its existence.
2. How much other beings depend on it for theirs.

When we examine the world around us, we find that many beings have fleeting existence because they are contingent on a multitude of necessary conditions to produce and sustain them. If any of those necessary conditions fail to exist, then so do the beings that depend on them.

We also discover more fundamental and permanent realities that serve as necessary conditions for many contingent beings. But even these necessary conditions are themselves contingent realities, depending for their existence on still more fundamental necessary conditions.

So we can say that a being has a greater degree of existence if (1) it is contingent on fewer necessary conditions and (2) it serves as a necessary condition for more contingent beings.

What then shall we say for a being with maximum existence? A reality that exists to the greatest degree must have at least two unique attributes:

1. It must have zero contingency. In other words, it must be self-existent, meaning it depends for its existence on nothing other than itself.
2. It must be a necessary condition for all beings. It must be that reality without which nothing else could exist.

So, in short, a Supreme Being must be a self-existent necessary condition for all beings.

Let’s summarize this argument with a syllogism:

• Premise 1: Let Ultimate Reality mean something that exists to the greatest degree.
• Premise 2: Something that exists to the greatest degree must be a self-existent necessary condition for all realities.
• Conclusion: So an Ultimate Reality must be a self-existent necessary condition for all realities.

But the key question still remains: is there any such Being or Reality? In Step 3 on the path to theism, I will make an argument for yes.

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Read Next:

Parsing the Second Leap

Path to Theism: Step 1